The Power of Love
by awalkinthepark
Summary: Three years ago Aria's heart was shattered into a million pieces by Ezra Fitz. She's now a junior at NYU. The only things she has left of him are a few shirts, some pictures, and memories. What will happen if she's reunited with the love of her life? Will he feel the same, or has someone else whisked his heart away?
1. The Bittersweet Break Up

**DISCLAIMER: ALL CHARACTERS BELONG TO SARA SHEPARD AND ABC FAMILY, EXCEPT THE FOLLOWING: ASHLEY RED, AND ANY OTHER CHARACTERS THAT HAVE AN APPEARANCE IN THIS STORY THAT ARENT ASSOCIATED WITH SARA SHEPARD OR ABC FAMILY.**

It's been three years. Yes, three years of missing him, wondering if he's found someone else. She often wonders if he's married, has a child, is still teaching. Three years ago she didn't picture her life to be like this. She pictured herself snuggled up to him on Saturdays watching movies, reading books, going out for dinner. Things aren't always how you want them to be now are they? This especially applies to Aria Montgomery. She didn't know why he suddenly felt like he was holding her back. This is what kept her numb every day. She thinks back to that agonizing moment in the morning when she wakes up and at night when she goes to sleep.

***FLASHBACK***

_"Ezra, what's wrong? You look like you've been put through the ringer, haha!" He just kept looking straight at the blue wall in his quaint apartment. His right hand tangled in his curly, somewhat freshly cut, brown hair. His old leather couch was accompanied by him and his fears. "Ezra, seriously, what's wrong? Look I was just kidding around! Is this about last night? I'm sorry if I overreacted about you getting cake mix in my hair, it's just I-" "ARIA! It's not about the stupid cake mix. Come here." I was getting antsy now. What was his problem? Why was he acting so, so helpless? "Aria, sweetheart, you're young, not much younger than me, but, but this is your senior year in high school. You're graduating in four months. Let's face it my unemployment isn't doing me any good. I've been offered a job at a private high school in New York and at first I wasn't going to take it, but, I, I-" "Ezra, just say it, I want you to take it. We can still be together. You know I've been strongly considering NYU and we can Skype and call and text everyday. I can visit you in the weekends and-" "No, Aria, you see I don't- uh- I- I love you more than anything You're the reason I get up every morning. Aria, you're my life, but I can't help but feel like I'm holding you back from your college experience. It would be different if we were the same age and I'd be experiencing it with you, but were not and I can't hold you back from your life. I can't let you risk missing out on your glorious college years and- hey, hey, Aria, honey, baby, look at me. Don't cry, you did nothing wrong, I love you and you'll always have a place in my heart. You'll always be my number one and I'll always be your night in shining armor. I felt like my heart was ripped out, shattering into a million pieces. "If you love me so much, then why are you doing this? Huh? Why are you giving up on everything we fought for?" "Aria, I'm not giving up, I'm just realizing that, that this, may not be what you want in a few years. Look- "No, Ezra if you're breaking up with me then just say it! Ok, I don't believe this is happening, make me know this is real, say it to my face!" "Aria, I-" "No! Ezra, just say it! say it, Ezra, say it. "WE'RE OVER, ARIA!" I burst into tears, I suddenly felt my knees go weak, I could barely support myself. Just as I was about to hit the floor, I felt Ezra's strong arms wrap around my small frame, I dug my face into the crook of his neck, releasing all my emotions. I felt him rock me back and forth pressing kisses to the top of my head. "If you really love me, then why are you hurting me?" I asked in a whisper voice. "Aria, if we're meant to be, we'll meet again in the future, but like I said earlier, I can't hold you back." I couldn't take this. Why doesn't he get that this is what I want? He stepped back, placed his right hand under my chin and lifted my head. "I'll always love you, Aria Montgomery." With that said, he leaned in and gave me a passionate kiss. It wasn't just passionate, it was a kiss that felt as if it were the last one we'd ever share. It was full of both of our emotions, our fights, battles, memories, happy and sad. It was bittersweet. When the kiss ended, I'd realized I'd lost. I didn't have the strength to argue anymore. '"Ezra, I love you, I know what I want, I know I want you, in time you'll see it." I turned around and practically sprinted out of the building before he could reply. I managed to not break down until I got to my car. This was it, we were over."_

***END FLASHBACK***

**This is just the first chapter. I'm really excited for this story. It's my first. Sorry for any spelling, punctuation, or grammatical mistakes. Future chapters will probably be longer. This is just more of an introduction chapter. I'll probably be updating tomorrow. Please review, it gives me a lot more motivation. I at least want to know that one person likes me story.:) Review, thank y'all!**


	2. An Unexpected Run-in

**I'M SORRY THAT THERE'S NOT VERY MUCH DIALOGUE IN THIS CHAPTER. I HAVE THIS STORY PLANNED OUT. I'M NOT JUST "GOING WITH FLOW." I REALLY DO HAVE PLANS FOR THIS. YOU'LL HAVE TO BE PATIENT TOO. YOU'LL SEE ARIA AND EZRA'S RELATIONSHIP SLOWLY UNFOLD IN THIS STORY. I DON'T WANT TO RUSH INTO ANYTHING. IT'LL BE AN EMOTIONAL ROLLER COASTER FOR ARIA AND AS WELL AS EZRA. PLEASE JUST BE PATIENT. HERE'S CHAPTER TWO! PLEASE ENJOY AND Y'ALL DON'T FORGET TO REVIEW NOW, YA HEAR! ALSO ANOTHER NOTE IS THIS STORY WILL ALSO BE IN EZRA'S POV.**

**ARIA'S POV**

I still wonder about Ezra every day. I'm surprised I haven't managed to run into him yet. I'm going in my junior at NYU. I'm loving it here. Of course, I'm majoring in English mainly because it's what I love to do. Ok, so not so much the heavy work loads and staying up until 4:00 A.M. writing papers at least once a week, but I'm hoping to becoming a teacher so hey, I've gotta do what I'e gotta do, right?

BEEP! BEEP! BEEP! "UGH! Shut up, shut up, shut up!" Once again, I forgot to turn off the alarm clock. I have it set for 8:30 a.m. during the school year because my classes start at 9:30 a.m. , but I always forget to turn the dang thing off. Well, I'm up so I might as well go for a run. Just as I was walking out the door I ran into my roommate, Clarissa. Clarissa's a tall blonde. She's about 5'6. She's unbelievably kind. She's super smart in school, but let's just say you never would've guessed that if you just met her on the street. "Clarissa, ha, another night of partying, huh?" she glared back at me in a joking manner. "Aria, you should really come with me tonight. There's this sweet party going on and there will be cute guys and-" "Look, Clarissa thanks, but I already told you for like the hundredth time, I'm not ready to move on." I've been to a few parties, don't get me wrong they're a blast, in fact there's really nothing wrong with the parties. Clarissa's always trying to set me up with some of the guys at the parties and several of them are extremely nice, but I'm just not really thinking about guys right now, Ezra's an exception. Well he's pretty much the reason I'm not into talking to other guys right now. "Clarissa, I'm going for a run and getting breakfast, want to come?" She looked at me with tired eyes and said, "No thanks, I think I hear the bed calling me, so you go on, don't party too hard." She winked at me. I giggled , rolled my eyes and shook my head.

Four miles later, I ended up at "Fresh Dish." It's this amazing restaurant. It's usually crawling with college kids on the weekends. I'm not exactly fond with my physical appearance at the moment. I have on bright pink tennis shoes, leggings, a loose t-shirt, my hair's pulled up in a pony tail, and there's a small layer of sweat on my body. I opened the door and to my surprise, it wasn't as packed as I thought it would be. It's like this because it's Summer vacation for some people. I mean of course they chose not to take any classes in June or July, anyways you get the picture. There are still quite a few people in here though.

I heard the door open and just out of curiosity I looked up. I didn't know whether or not to regret my actions. My heart sped up then instantly stopped. There he was in all his glory, my knight in shining armor, Ezra Fitz. To my disappointment, it looked like he had found his princess.

His curls went to the right side of his head like they always had. He had on a blue t-shirt and slightly faded jeans. His black wayfarer Ray Bans were tucked into the top of his shirt and he had on plain black tennis shoes. The girl that his left hand was currently attached to had blond hair with highlights. She had smooth skin and she was just about as tall as Clarissa. She had dark brown, textured, Tory Burch riding boots on, dark blue jeans, and a white sweater accompanied the upper part of her body. She was extremely fit. It was almost as if she were flawless. She had that welcoming, bright, smile. She even looked like a loving, caring person. I'm sure she is because I know Ezra would never go for those fake girls that hate kids and don't have any appreciation what so ever for classic literature. When they turned to look at each other my whole world just stopped. He looked at her like he used to look at me. He talked to her like he used to talk to me. His eyes and voice confirmed his love for her.

They chose a table not far from the door. I continued to eat my Caesar Salad, trying not to burst into tears. Honestly, I'm tired of crying, but I just can't get over him. If he's happy with this girl though, I'll just have to let him go, like he did to me three years ago.

I decided to go to the restroom before I left. I'm pretty surprised that I didn't rush out of here, but I wouldn't let him have that kind of affect of me, I couldn't. When I was about 10 feet from the restroom, I ran into a hard object. I heard a deep, all too familiar voice say, "Oh! I'm so sorry, I-, Aria?" I looked up at the blue eyes that just about absorbed every bit of me. All those memories from Rosewood just came piling in. The Grille, Hollis College, Rosewood High, the bar, apartment 3B, and B-26. I finally mustered up the courage to same hi. "Hi, E-Ezra." He looked at me, but for the first time I couldn't tell what emotions he was feeling. He honestly looked confused. He was about to speak but his, I guess you would say girlfriend, interrupted our growing conversation. "Honey, are you ok?" She said as she ran up to him. "You been gone for awhile." He looked at her and said, "Yes, sorry sweetheart, this is Aria, an old uh- an old friend from Rosewood." She turned to look at me and said, "Oh my gosh, that was just extremely rude of me. I'm so sorry Aria, I'm Ashley, once again I apologize for totally not realizing you were there." She looked like she was thinking then she suddenly said, "Wait, you're Aria? I've heard a lot about you." I looked at Ezra with a confused face. Ashley began to speak again, "Well, Ezra and I teach at the same high school and he told me about how well you write. "Ah, I- uh- I- thank you." I said trying my best to keep a smile on my face. Ashley spoke up and said, "I'm so sorry, but Ezra and I have to meet up with a few people. My friend's getting married and were in the wedding." Ezra then smiled and said, "It was really nice seeing you, Aria, we should catch up sometime, but we really do have to go, I'm sorry." "Yeah, yeah, go on, Maybe I'll see y'all around, Bye."

With that, I practically ran out trying to comprehend what in the world just happened. I mean he acted like we were just friends and he just wanted to "catch up." What's up with that?

As soon as I got back to my dorm, I fell onto my bed and cried myself to sleep, wondering, once again, how I let Ezra slip away.

**Like I said at the top, this is just the beginning, there's going to be heart breaking drama and happy scenes in the next few chapters. I'll probably be posting a few more chapters this week so that I can really get this ball rolling. Thanks, and once again, please review**.


	3. A Much Needed Trip

**SO PLEASE DON'T THINK THIS IS GOING TO BE SOME SHORT STORY HAHA I PROMISE IT'LL GET BETTER. THIS CHAPTER IS GOING TO REALLY START THE STORY. I JUST HOPE IT'S NOT TOO CHEESY I'M NOT TRYING TO MAKE IT. THE IDEA AND WHAT HAPPENS IN THIS STORY MAY SOUND LIKE SOME CHEESY ROMANCE MOVIE, BUT STICK AROUND BECAUSE IT'S ONLY GETTING MORE EMOTIONAL. OH AND ALSO I'M NOT EXACTLY SURE WHEN YOU WILL GET TO SEE EZRA'S POV. I'M JUST HAVING IT IN ARIA'S POV BECAUSE IF I HAD IT IN EZRA'S POV RIGHT NOW IT WOULD ANSWER A LOT OF QUESTIONS THAT YOU'RE PROBABLY ASKING YOURSELF, BUT I'M NOT READY FOR THOSE QUESTIONS TO BE ANSWERED QUITE YET, HA, SO JUST HANG IN THERE, FOLKS!**

**ARIA'S POV **

I woke up tangled in my sheets. My cheeks had tear streaks down them. My eyes were red and puffy from crying all night. Clarissa was passed out on the couch. She must have fallen asleep while she was writing her English essay that was probably due tomorrow. Clarissa decided to take some Summer courses.

I rummaged through some drawers and cabinets trying to find a pan. After my successful hunt for a pan was over, I sprayed some Pam and cracked an egg in it. After about ten minutes I had made my self a small, yet satisfying breakfast. I hopped on over to the table and started to dig in when I noticed an elegant creme colored wedding invitation. It read, " You're invited to Kim and Mike's wedding. It was scheduled for March 24, 2013 which was in two weeks. Kim was my old babysitter. She's about Ezra's age, give or take a few years. I picked up the envelope that the invitation was delivered in and noticed another invitation. It was a lot simpler and it was handwritten. I carefully examined the words on the invitation, "Aria, I'm getting married to Mike. I think you might've met him a few years ago when I came to visit. Anyways, you're parents offered for the wedding participants and Mike and I to stay at your family's cabin up in Maine a week before the wedding. I wanted you to come. We're getting married at the church right near there and I thought with the beautiful lake and the cozy cabin, how could I turn down that offer? You know my number, call me and let me know.

I sat there for a second, my thoughts were wavering. I finally decided that it would be good to get out of the city. I grabbed my phone and dialed Kim's number. "Hello? Aria?" Her voice rang through the phone. "Hi, Kim! I just got your invitation and I decided hey, why not. It'll be fun." "Yay! Aria you have no idea how excited I am to know you're coming. I get to introduce you to all my friends and just Ohhh! Aria! I'll text you with details later, the wedding planner's here with some quick last minute touch ups! Love you, Pookie Bear, haha. See ya in a week." I laughed and replied with , "Alright, Blondie, I'll see you then. Text me what to pack, love you, bye!"

My phone's screen lit up with the words, "Kim: One new text message." I opened it up and there was list of what to bring.

"Aria, once again, I'm really excited you're coming. Next week will be very carefree. It's a well needed break for everyone. We all need to release all this stress from jobs and school. Here's what to bring: a few bathing suits, t-shirts, shorts, your dress size and of course your wonderful self! Oh, and bring a few cute outfits in case we got out to dinner.;) Xoxo- Kim."

I skipped to my room, pulling out my black rolley suit case that I've only used a few times since I started college. I started packing everything she said to, even though I'm not leaving for a week, I know I'll procrastinate if I don't start now.

I took a much needed hot shower, pulled on my new green pajamas and hit the sack, with Ezra Fitz very much occupying my thoughts.

**I'M SORRY THAT THIS WAS KIND OF SHORT, BUT IN THE NEXT CHAPTER THE FUN BEGINS, THE DRAMA, THE QUESTIONS, THE HEARTBREAK, THE HAPPY, SAD AMD BITTERSWEET MOMENTS. THIS CHAPTER ISN'T REALLY JUST A FILLER CHAPTER IT REALLY JUST STARTS OFF THE STORY. ENJOY EVERYONE . I'll PROBABLY ALSO BE POSTING ANOTHER CHAPTER TODAY. I WANT TO MAKE THE NEXT ONE AND ALL THE ONES AFTER IT REALLY GOOD. THANKS, REVIEW, PLEASE.;)**

**P.S. THE MIKE KIM IS MARRYING ISN'T ARIA'S BROTHER. I'M MOT SIRE IF MIKE WILL MAKE AN APPEARANCE IN THIS STORY. HE PROBABLY WILL AT LEAST ONCE, PROBABLY AT THE WEDDING WITH HE AND ARIA'S PARENTS I'M NOT EXACTLY SURE ON HIM YET, BUT ONCE AGAIN, THANKS, AND REVIEW, PLEASE.;)**


	4. The Beginning to a Very Long Trip

**I'M REALLY SORRY FOR THE TIME SKIP IN THIS CHAPTER. IT'S ONLY A WEEK TIME SKIP. IT'S THE DAY SHE'S LEAVING FOR MAINE. IT'S MOSTLY BECAUSE IF I WRITE A CHAPTER DURING THE WEEK BEFORE SHE LEAVES IT'LL PRETTY MUCH BE HER COMPLAINING ABOUT SCHOOL WORK AND I'M TRYING TO MAKE AN INTERESTING STORY FOR Y'ALL. I DON'T WANT Y'ALL TO BE BORED. I HAVE A REALLY GREAT IDEA FOR A CHAPTER COMING UP, LIKE I SAID I HAVE THIS STORY PLANNED OUT. ANYWAYS, I HAVE SOME REALLY CUTE AND HEARTBREAKING IDEAS PLANNED OUT IN MY HEAD. MY FAVORITE ONE'S COMING UP, SO JUST HANG IN THERE, ENOUGH OF ME, HERE'S CHAPTER FOUR.**

**ARIA'S POV**

So, it's finally Monday. I'm off to Maine in my little silver Prius. It's about an eight hour drive, but I've done it before, so it won't be too bad.

Eight long hours later, I had arrived in Maine, the drive to my families' cabin isn't very far from where I am now. It's only about twenty miles. What I really love about driving up here, is the breathtaking view. The tall mountain peaks, with fluffy layers of snow, and the crisp, cool air makes you feel so clean and fresh. I drive past the tall trees and turn into the opening of a long, brown, wooden fence. the road that leads up to the cabin is all gravel. I can hear the crunching of the rocks as my tires continue to roll over them, until I finally arrive at the cabin. It's about four p.m. and I'm already ready to just sit, relax, and watch the stars.

I drove up to the cabin and saw a few people, walking around, talking. I parked my car, got out and ran into the arms of Kim. "Aria, it's been forever, look at you!" I shot her a warm smile and said, "Look at YOU!" She was glowing! I could tell that Mike truly did make her happy. I looked around and saw about six other people. I'm pretty sure I'm the only single person here. Kim introduced me to Scott and Stacy, Colin and Tina, Grace and Mitchell and of course i was reintroduced to Mike, her fiance, and soon to be husband. Everyone looked to be about 24-26. She told me there's was another couple in the house so I grabbed my bag, which was soon taken out of my hands my Mike, he really was quite a gentleman.

As we approached the brown door of the wooden cabin, I heard laughing and talking. I assumed the mystery people were in the kitchen because when we opened the door they were no where to be seen, only heard. I told Kim that I was going to drop off my suit case in my room and freshen up a bit. Five minutes later I scurried downstairs and headed to the kitchen. I saw the back of a mans head who looked to be kissing a girl. I couldn't see her face due to the man blocking her from my view. They were practically lip locking in the kitchen and I honestly began to feel a little awkward, so I cleared my throat and they jumped apart. Once again there stood Ezra Fitz with Ashley by his side.

"A-Aria?" he questioned with about just as much confusion as I felt. "Ezra, what are you doing here?" "This is the wedding that Ashley and I are in. What are you doing here?" "Kim's my old babysitter, were close family friends and this is actually my families' cabin. My mom offered for her and Mike to invite a few friends up here, which you obviously already know." "Oh, I see." Ashley jumped in, "Aria, it's so nice to see you again. I don't mean to be rude, but I'm going to go change into some sweatpants." She then turned to Ezra, "Baby, is it alright if I grab that sweatshirt that I love." He quickly replied with, "Of course." They then exchanged a quick peck on the lips and she walked off to their bedroom leaving Ezra Fitz and I alone in the same room. I couldn't even put the pain I was feeling right now into words. He must've seen my eyes filling with tears because he began to say, "Aria, look, I- you- I-" "Stop rambling, you what?" I whispered back furiously. He continued to stare back at me with a dumbfound expression on his face. "You know what? Never mind, Ezra." I then rushed outside managing not to make a scene.

After about thirty minutes Ashley and Ezra walked out of the house, hand in hand. "This going to be a very long trip," I thought to myself.

**SORRY TO KIND OF LEAVE YOU HANGING , BUT I'M ABOUT TO WRITE CHAPTER FIVE BECAUSE HONESTLY I CAN'T WAIT TO! IT'S GOING TO BE A PRETTY GOOD ONE, IN MY OPINION. THANKS, REVIEW. REMEMBER THIS STORY IS GOING TO GET REALLY GOOD OR AT LEAST I'LL TRY TO MAKE IT. WOW, THAT SOUNDED KIND OF CONCEITED. I'M NOT SAYING MY STORY IS SUPER GREAT, I JUST HAVE A LOT OF CONFIDENCE IN THE FUTRE CHAPTERS AND THE CTROY'S GOING T BUILD CHAPTER AFTER CHAPTER. REVIEW, PLEASE, THANK Y'ALL!**


	5. Does He Really Love Her?

**HERE'S CHAPTER FIVE. THE STORY IS SLOWLY BUILDING. PLEASE ENJOY AND REVIEW.**

**ARIA'S POV**

It's been about five hours since Ezra and I had our little quarrel. Everyone's about to sit around the newly lit camp fire. I looked at my phone and saw it was 9:01 p.m. Everyone threw on their pajamas and sat down next to the fire. Ezra had on black sweatpants with a plain grey t-shirt. A few of his curls were spread across his forehead. He hasn't changed a bit, as far as physical appearance, since I last saw him. Ashley had on what she changed into earlier, Ezra's sweatshirt and a pair of "PINK" sweatpants on. Ashley and Ezra sat in the last spot open which was right next me. When my brother, Mike, and I were younger we all used to sit around the camp fire and tell ghost stories, so my dad got four, long pieces of solid wood to use as seats. They've been through rain and snow over the years, but they managed to pull through up to this very moment. Ezra was right between Ashley and I. We were so close that our shoulders touched. Ezra turned his head to look at me but his eyes flickered down to my chest, so like anyone would I also looked down at my chest and I instantly knew why he was looking there, I had made the absolute stupidest mistake. I was wearing an old Hollis t-shirt, but it wasn't just any old Hollis t-shirt. It was his old Hollis t-shirt. We shared an awkward glance, then turned our heads forward, clearing our throats.

After Kim finished telling everyone about how thankful she is that everyone's here, Scott turned to Ezra saying, "So, Ezra, when are you and Ashley going to tie the knot?" As soon as those words came out of his mouth I shot up. The second I did this, I realized how random and weird this looked, so I blurted out the first excuse that popped into my head. "I- uh- I don't feel so great, I think I'm just going to go walk around and try to catch my breath." Kim looked up with a slightly worried face, "Well, here Ar, let me come with you, I don't want you to end up getting lost all alone, it's pretty dark out there-" Ezra then interrupted Kim saying, "You know what, I'm feeling a little sickly as well. I 'll come with you." I replied a little too fast, "No, you guys, it's fine, really. I'll be fine-" Ezra shot back with, "No really, it'll be good for the both of us." Ashley decided to speak up, "Aria, just accept his offer, trust me he won't back down." I sighed knowing how true this was. "Alright, come on."

After about walking half a mile, Ezra decided to say something, "Aria, stop, please , just stop walking, let me explain myself." I rolled my eyes and twirled around, "Explain what Ezra? Explain why you let me go? Why you didn't run after me, call me, text me, write me, or even email me? I think it's pretty clear how you feel about her. I get it, I get that you've moved on. Just stop trying to cover it up. Okay, stop trying to make excuses because I'm sick of it and I'm sick of you!" Ezra wasn't going to give up without a fight. "Aria! You think I wanted to let you go? Really? Do you honestly think that low of me? I'm not blaming Hardy, but if you want the story here it is. I'm not going to try to tell you that this wasn't my fault because I know it is! The night you came over, was a few hours after Hardy left. He'd grown on the idea of our relationship a little, but he wasn't exactly supportive of it. He started saying things like, "Oh well, Aria's going to be leaving soon and I mean don't you just feel like your holding her back from her life? I mean you are six years ahead of life." I'd thought about this, but I'd never really heard anyone else say it. That night I felt like I really was holding you back from your life and I just couldn't do that, Aria." I now had several tears running down my face. All the memories hit me like a pile of bricks. "You- y- y- you g- gave up on u- us so eas- easily," I was barely able to form a sentence through my sobs. "Aria, I told you then and I'll tell you know, I wasn't giving up, I was letting you live your life!" Now I was beyond angry. "You were my life a Ezra," I yelled back. He looked like his heart had shattered like mine had all those years ago. "Ezra, look me in the eyes and tell me you don't love Ashley, tell me you don't want to wake up to her in the morning, tell me and I'm all yours. He looked up at me with teary eyes. "Say it Ezra, say it!" He continued to stare at me, he wouldn't speak and I was tired of it. "Ugh! Ezra, you know what? Never mind, we should head back, I'm sure you'd like to continue your make out session with Ashley, right?" I stomped off towards the cabin, not know if Ezra was right behind me or glued to the same spot.

**THAT WAS CHAPTER FIVE! I HAD TO REWRITE THE ENDING A BIT. THE ORIGINAL WAS WAY TOO HEARTBREAKING IT HURT TO WRITE IT HAHA. DO Y'ALL THINK THAT HE REALLY DOES LOVE ASHLEY? HOW DO YOU THINK ARIA'S GOING TO REACT WHEN SHE SEES HIM THE NEXT DAY? REVIEW, PLEASE, THANK Y'ALL!**


	6. A Fishing Trip Gone Wrong

**OK SO I KNOW THERE HASN'T BEEN A LOT OF DIALOGUE, BUT I'M DOING IT ON PURPOSE BECAUSE AFTER THIS CHAPTER, THERE WILL BE A LOT OF DIALOGUE BECAUSE OF AN EVENT THAT OCCURS WITH ARIA AND EZRA, ENJOY, THANK Y'ALL AND PLEASE REVIEW.**

**ARIA'S POV**

When I got back to the cabin, everyone was already in their designated rooms. I heard the door open and close about 30 minutes after I had arrived. I knew it was Ezra, but why had he taken so long to get back? As he found his way to his room, he stopped by my door and let out a long sigh followed by a, "Goodnight Aria." Just as he was about to walk out the door I stopped him. "Ezra, wait." I said in a whisper voice. "Aria? I thought you were asleep." I coughed up a slight giggle. "Obviously, I'm not. Look, Ezra don't think you're off the hook because you're not. I'm beyond upset, but I can't let my feelings about someone ruin this week for Kim, so let's at least try to act civilized around each other." He nodded in confirmation. "Aria, I-." I cut him off, "Ezra, go seriously, Ashley's probably waiting for you." With that he got up from the edge of my bed and quietly left the room.

To say today was going to be awkward was an understatement. My phone says it's 8:30 a.m. I can hear the clanking of plates downstairs, so I'm assuming someone's started breakfast. I threw on my red rosewood hoodie from my senior year at Rosewood High and some black leggings with a white waist lining.

As I arrived in the kitchen, Ezra was cooking breakfast, but the only other person in the room was Kim. "Well, good morning, Aria." I replied with a small yawn. "Good morning to you too, Kim, Ezra." Ezra turned his head saying, "Good morning, Aria." I could already feel the tension in the room and this day is just starting. I'm still mad at Ezra, I'm furious with him, but I can't ruin this week for anyone, that includes Ashley and Ezra. I just don't understand why Ezra couldn't just answer my question last night. It really wasn't a challenging question. He either loves her or he doesn't.

It's been about 20 minutes since I've come downstairs and everyone is now gathered around the table. Ezra's a great cook. He's put together a quick and easy breakfast, but managed to make it taste like a gourmet meal. He's cooked fried and scrambled eggs, bacon, toast, biscuits, and waffles. "Ezra, this is an excellent breakfast, thank you." "Thanks Aria, I'm glad you enjoyed it." Everyone then gave their thanks to Ezra shortly after I did. Then we all headed off to change for the day.

By the time everyone was outside and dressed it was 9:45. We were heading off to a small secluded river to go fishing. I haven't been fishing in a long time, so I'm eager to see how this is going to turn out. As far as I know, Ezra's never been much of a nature boy. I mean sure he did the typical scouting in first grade, but he wasn't much of a hot shot when it came to activities in the woods.

As we got to our destination, we unloaded the fishing poles, the bait, and the cooler from Scott's Ford pick-up. It's July, so it's about 70 degrees. I grabbed a pole and started to prepare it to be casted into the water. I looked to the right and it seemed Ashley and Ezra were having trouble baiting their hooks. I strutted over there, "Ezra, seriously, you can't even bait a hook? Hand it over." He did as I demanded and I had managed to bait it in a matter of seconds. I also did it for Ashley. I'll give her some leeway, she's a city girl. Honestly, it's not hard to stick an artificial, gummy like, warm onto a sharp pointed object. "There you go," I said as I handed Ashley back her pole. "Thank you so much, you're such a sweet heart." I smiled at her saying, "It's really no problem." Ezra then managed to spit out a, "Thank you." It's not that I don't like Ashley. I do like her, she's extremely nice. I just don't like that she's with Ezra.

I heard Mike yell, "I got one!" He reeled it in, and took it off the hook. It was a pretty big bass, its scales glistened in the sun. He walked over to the white cooler and tossed it on top of the ice. About five minutes after Mike caught a fish I heard a yell followed by a splash. I twirled around and my eyes immediately fell on Ezra. He was standing in the middle of the river, shivering and clattering his teeth. Ashley then ran to grab a towel out of the back of the truck and retreated to the edge of the river. Ezra grabbed the towel and said, "T-thank y-you." Ashley replied by saying, "You're welcome. Goodness, sweetheart what happened? Baby, are you ok?" Jeez, drama queen much? He fell in five feet deep water, not the Atlantic Ocean. "Yeah, I must have tripped on a root or something." As he passed by me I softly said, "Wait to go, Sherlock." He stopped, leaned in and whispered in my ear, "I thought I was Gatsby, Daisy?" As he pulled back, he threw me a wink then turned around to reunite with Ashley. If only he knew the shivers that just went down my spine, or saw the goosebumps under my sleeves.

The sky started to darken, and the clouds started to rumble. Soon there was rain pouring from the sky. We all ran to the truck and started on our way back to the cabin. I looked over and realized I was sitting next to Ashley and Ezra. "Oh, great," I thought. Ashley and Ezra were talking about some student at their school that they teach at. They were saying how nicely she writes. Well, that's funny, that's what Ezra and I used to do. I just kind of zoned out after about five-seconds into their conversation because I really didn't find their conversation interesting. That is until Ashley said something, something that made me really wonder what Ezra was going to say back. She said, "I love you, sweetheart." He cleared his throat and I felt his body tense up next to me. He then said something that made every part of my body stop. "I love you too." She snuggled up to him, nuzzling her head into his shoulder. He then turned his head and looked at me like he was saying sorry, like he was begging for my forgiveness. I quickly looked away, hoping he didn't see the tears threatening to spill.

As soon as we arrived at the cabin, I hopped out of the car. I ran upstairs trying to calm myself down. I was hoping that no one noticed by sudden mood change. I heard a knock on the door and when I looked up I was met with the face of Kim. "Aria, hey ar-" She stopped mid sentence as soon as she saw that I wasn't exactly the happiest person right now. "Aria, what's wrong? Are you ok?" "Hm? yeah, yeah, I'm fine. I'm just a little tired, that's all." As soon as I finished my sentence, I heard Ashley's and Ezra's laughs. Right then and there my heart just dropped. Not because they were laughing, or because they were being too loud. Because, I'm not the girl Ezra says I love you to, I'm not the girl he's laughing with right now. "I guess I'll let you sleep, Ar." "Thanks, I'm sorry Kim, don't worry about me. Go hangout with your friends. Like I said I'm fine, I'm just tired." Kim looked at me sympathetically and sighed,"Alright, and don't apologize, see you in the morning, good night, Pookie Bear." I sighed, laughed, and rolled my eyes, "Goodnight Kim." With that, I laid down, still wide awake, thinking of no one, but Ezra.


	7. Up in the Attic

**HI EVERYONE. OK SO THIS IS MY FAVORITE CHAPTER THAT I'VE WRITTEN SO FAR BECAUSE WELL YOU'LL SEE, HAHA. OH, AND BY THE WAY THIS CHAPTER TAKES OFF WHERE CHAPTER 6 LEFT OFF, SO SHE'S MANAGED TO FALL ASLEEP, BUT IT'S ONLY BEEN ABOUT TWO HOURS THEN SHE GETS WOKEN UP BY SOMETHING. HERE YA GO, OH AND THANKS SO MUCH FOR ALL RHE REVIEWS! KEEP EM COMING, THANKS, REVIEW PLEASE.**

**ARIA'S POV**

BOOM! I'd finally managed to go to sleep until this stupid storm started. BOOM! BOOM! "UGH! Stupid thunder!" I thought to myself. I'm not going back to sleep that's for sure. I've hated thunderstorms for as long as I can remember. I mean I'm not really scared of them, ok, so maybe a little, but they're just annoying when I'm trying to go to sleep. I just don't get how people go to sleep when is all they hear is the whistling of the wind, tree branches hitting their windows, and thunder. "I'll just go up to the attic." I thought. I like to go up to the attic here because a lot of pictures and toys from when Mike and I were younger are stored up there. My parents figured we wouldn't need them until we got older and had our own kids.

I pull down the string hanging from the attic door located on the ceiling. I try to do it as quietly as possible because I don't want to wake anyone. I heard everyone go to their rooms about two hours ago. As I pulled down the door I slowly started to unfold the accordion looking ladder. I climbed up the ladder and flipped on the light switch. When I flipped on the light, I saw a few cobwebs and several plastic boxes stacked on top of each other. I walked over to the four stacks of boxes and decided to start looking through the first one in the row closest to me. I picked up the box, set it on the ground and then I joined it, taking a seat right next to it. I undid the lid and softly laid it beside me. As soon as I saw the cover of the scrapbook laying on top of everything, I knew exactly what this box contained. I had stored most of my pictures and items I had from when I was with Ezra. I kept it here, so I wouldn't have to be strongly reminded of him everyday. I wouldn't be surprised if I could tell you every item that was settled in this box. The scrapbook had a white, fluffy, canvas cover. In the center, there was a picture of Ezra and I. It was just after he had started teaching at Hollis College after resigning from Rosewood High. On the side of the picture, I could see my stretched out arm. I had taken the picture. We had been sitting at his breakfast table, eating waffles and eggs. I flipped open the book and started looking at the numerous pictures, until I heard a creaking sound. I looked up and my eyes came in contact with the one and only, Ezra Fitz. He wasn't wearing a shirt, only red patterned pajama pants. His pants were plaid like with black mixed into them. His chest was very defined and he had a pretty nice set of abs. He wasn't exactly Channing Tatum, but let's just say you'd be crazy to not want him.

He walked over to me and stood over my shoulder. He pointed to a picture and then squatted down. "Haha, that was a fun day." He said. I looked up at him, smiled and nodded my was a picture of us in the snow outside his apartment. I turned the page and my eyes landed on something that I wish they hadn't. It was a picture of Ezra and me from our last Halloween together. I was dressed as a princess and he was dressed as a prince. He spoke up, "That was a really great night. It was probably the best Halloween ever. I was your prince and you were my princess." I looked at him and sadly said, "yeah, well things change don't they?" With that, I jolted up and headed toward the door, but before I could reach it, I felt Ezra's hand wrap around my upper arm. He turned me around, looked me in the eyes, then he lifted his mouth to my ear and said, "You'll always be my princess." He pulled back and did something, I never expected, he crashed his lips to mine with more passion than he'd ever done. Our lips moved in sync perfectly, just like they always had. He pulled back and pressed a kiss to my forehead. I closed my eyes and took a deep breath. "Ezra, we need to talk." He replied with, "I know." We walked over to the wall and sat down, so that we could have something to lean against.

I started by saying, "Ezra, what is this anyways, I mean we can't do this, you love Ashley and-" he cut me off, "Aria, you really think I love Ashley? I love you. Aria, I've never stopped, and I will never stop." "But earlier-" "Aria what did you want me to say? 'Oh, sorry Ashley, I don't love you because I'm in love with the girl on the other side of me?' " I looked at him as if to say, "Well, kinda, yeah, I mean that would've been great." He knew exactly what I was thinking, so he sighed, said "come here." And pulled me into his lap. I rested my head on his bare chest and he started to talk again. "Aria, I like her, Ashley, she's really great, but I don't love her. I mean I probably thought I did for a little while, but then I realized that I could never love another woman, because I was always going to love you. Aria, I want you back more than anything. I want to marry you some day and have kids. I want to take you out on dates and watch black and white movies on Saturday. I want you, all of you, everyday for the rest of my life." I was practically in tears because of everything he'd just said. I mean he really wanted me. He still loves me. "Ezra, I love you so much. I mean it's probably unhealthy, how much I love you." I joked. "But what about Ashley? I mean are you just going to dump her in front of everyone?" "Aria, just please give me until Sunday and I Promise you I'll be able to leave with you, to be with you." "What, so I'm just supposed to stand there and watch you kiss another girl all week?" "Aria, I'll try to avoid kissing her, I mean I really don't want to kiss her. Not one bit, but if I stop kissing her, don't you think that'll be pretty suspicious. I 'll try to keep it to small pecks on the lips." He repeated himself by saying, "I don't want to kiss her, Aria, please know that. Please?" I sighed and nodded. "Fine, but please no making out or having-" "Aria, I promise you I won't be doing that with her. I love you, only you." I mean I understand that he'll have to at least kiss Ashley a few more times this week and respond with I love you too, but I just wish he didn't have to. "Aria, you know I'll probably have to say I love you to, but I only love you, please know that, Ar-" "I know, Ezra."

He then pulled me in for a long, meaningful kiss, that soon turned passionate. I felt his tongue skim over my bottom lip. I opened my mouth for him and we were soon fighting for dominance. I pulled back not wanting to start something we couldn't finish. "Ezra, we can't go THAT far yet-" "I know." "I love you." I said. "Aria, I love you more, forever and always." I looked up and smiled at him, then I moved my head down onto his chests and thought of what in the world had just happened and how I'd gotten so lucky.

**THERE'S CHAPTER 7, THEY KISSED, THEY ACTUALLY, KISSED, THE STORY IS FAR FROM OVER. STAY TUNED FOR MORE FLUFF AND DRAMA. THANKS, REVIEW, PLEASE!**


	8. Lost in the Mountains: Part 1

**I'M WRITING IN A DIFFERENT FORMAT THEN I'VE BEEN WRITING, SO TELL ME WHAT YOU THINK! AND A BIG THANKS TO TheHeartofWriting SHE GAVE ME THE WHOLE MOUNTAIN/GETTING LOST IDEA! SO CREDITS FOR THAT IDEA GO TO HER! ONCE AGAIN THANK YOU AND GO CHECK OUT HER STORIES! IMPORTANT NOTE:I'LL BE UPDATING EVERY TUESDAY AFTERNOON, SO MEXT TUESDAY I'LL PUT THE NEXT PART OF THIS CHAPTER UP. THANKS SO MUCH AND REVIEW, PLEASE!**

**ARIA'S POV**

I woke up the next morning remembering the events of last night. I had a huge grin plastered on my face and it wouldn't go away, but the realization hit me that Ezra wasn't exactly mine yet. I heard footsteps make their way across the hallway and my door was soon being opened. I looked at the clock and saw it was 6:31 a.m. ,so I figured everyone was still asleep. When my door was fully opened, I was met with beautiful blue eyes that I knew all too well. Ezra stood there was a grin stretched from ear to ear.

"Good morning, beautiful," he whispered.

I looked at him as if to say, "really, Ezra?"

His faced dropped when he saw the look on my face. "What? Aria, did I do something wrong?" He questioned.

"No, Ezra. It's just this," I pointed at him standing right next to my bed, "isn't really being careful."

"I know, I know, but I just had to see you. Besides, I wanted to discuss today."

I looked at him slightly confused. "Today?"

"You know, the hike? Up the mountain?"

"Ohhh, right, the hike. What about it?"

"Well as you know Ashley will be going with us."

"Oh, don't worry Ezra, I haven't forgotten."

He looked behind him to make sure no one was there before quietly shutting the door. He then made his way to my bed and took my hands in his.

"Aria, I love you, ok? You know that, but Ashley doesn't, not yet at least." He gave me a lingering peck on the lips before continuing. "Just please know that if I have to kiss Ashley, or hold her hand, I'll be wishing it was you."

"I know Ezra, it's just hard to watch you with someone else."

"Aria, I would just end it with her now, but before Ashely and I got together, her boyfriend just suddenly left her and she at least deserves to be let down easy."

I nodded my head in understanding. "Alright, but just please try to keep it G or PG. I prefer G, but Ashley on the hand?" I asked in a questioningly voice.

He chuckled a bit before saying, "Anything for you sweetheart."

He then leaned in, as did I, and our lips met in a heated kiss. I was feeling confident and figured that we needed to find a way to make up the lost time after all these years, so I plunged my tongue into his mouth with out any hesitation. Soon, my hands were tangled in his hair, while his own roamed my back. I felt myself hit the mattress and quickly pulled away. He didn't give up though, he moved his lips down to my neck and I once again almost got caught up in a trance, but the sound of a shower came on and I quickly detached his lips from my neck.

"Ugh, Aria, why did you do that?" He pouted.

"Ezra, you know I'd love to do that, but someone just got up. Did you not hear the shower?"

"I heard it, I just chose to ignore it."

"Ezra, seriously, we need to get dressed. Kim said we were going to leave for the mountain at 7:30 and it's 7:00 now.

We stood up and Ezra was about to give me a kiss goodbye for the hike, but we were interrupted by a questioning voice.

"E-Ezra? What're you doing in here? Ashley's looking for you." We both glanced at each other, silently thinking the same thing. We were both thinking how lucky we were that it wasn't Ashley, but only Kim.

"Kim, uh-uh" I tried to think of an excuse, but it's like my mind went blank.

Ezra saved the day by saying, "Well, I got up at about 6:30 and I went out for a quick walk and when I came back I wanted to brush my teeth, but I couldn't find my toothpaste and I didn't want to wake Ashley. I passed by Aria's room and saw her sitting on her bed, so I just came to ask her for some toothpaste."

I stood there mentally thanking Ezra. "Yeah, here Ezra let me just grab that for you." I ran into the small white bathroom connected to my room and grabbed the tube full of toothpaste.

"Thanks, Aria." He shot me his famous boyish grin and retreated back to his room.

I had forgotten about Kim's presence until she cleared her throat. "Oh, sorry Kim. So what should I wear?"

"What was that Aria?"

"What was what?"

"You know what. You and Ezra?"

"I told you Kim, I was just letting him borrow my toothpaste."

"Look Aria, I remember Ezra being your teacher when I came to visit and I remember y'all being friends after he left your school to teach at Hollis, but were y'all like you know...maybe...more than friends?"

I swallowed hard and tried my best to look at her like she was crazy because I knew her thoughts were true, but I couldn't confirm that. Not yet at least. "I'm sure Kim." After giving me a long, hard stare, her face softened and she seemed satisfied with my answer, at least for now.

"Alright and you can just throw on some jeans and a t-shirt with a jacket. I'll be getting ready along with everyone else."

"Ok, sounds great, so I'll meet you downstairs in about 20 minutes?"

"Yeah. Oh, and Aria?"

"Yeah?"

"We're not done with our conversation about you and Ezra."

I groaned feeling defeated. "Fine, we'll talk about it later." Kim then smiled, nodded, and turned around walking across the hall to her and Mike's room.

Everyone was running a little late, so by the time we got to in the car to head over to the bottom of the mountain it was 7:45.

Scott, Stacy, Colin, and Tina rode in one car, Grace, Mitchell, Kim, and Mike rode in one car, and of course I was stuck with Ashley and Ezra for about 10 minutes.

Ashley decided to strike a conversation which I was grateful for at first, but I soon changed my mind when she asked Ezra a question.

"Ezra, where were you this morning? I woke up at about 6:45 and you weren't there." she questioned curiously.

"Oh, uh I went for a walk early this morning. I had some trouble sleeping." he replied followed by a nervous glance in the rear view mirror where I was sitting.

"Well you could've woken me up, baby. I would've gone with you."

"Ashely, you probably wouldn't have liked it. It was really rocky. I mean I loved it because I used to do some challenging running courses in high school. I told you that, right Ashley?"

She smiled and nodded.

He was telling the truth about the challenging running courses in high school. He used to tell me all about them, but I knew exactly what he meant by it being really "rocky" and how she wouldn't have liked it, but the loved it. He meant that he loved seeing me even thought it was really risky, which is what he meat by really "rocky", but she wouldn't have liked it.

**EZRA'S POV**

Luckily we only had about five more minutes left of this terrible car ride. I wish Ashley would just stay quiet and look out the window, but with her talkative personality I knew that wasn't going to happen.

"So, Aria, do you like to hike?" Ashley asked completely oblivious to the tension in the car.

"Well, I've been up this mountain a few times and I love it. My mother and father used to take my brother and I up here when we were little."

I remember her telling me about their family adventures from when she was about 11.

"So does that mean you're going to be our tour guide up this mountain?" Ashley asked with a little chuckle.

Aria returned a small laugh and said, "Well, considering I haven't actually been up this mountain in about six year, they may not be the best idea." she ended her sentence with that bright beautiful smile of her. Gosh, I love her so much.

I really do love Aria more than anyone, and I like Ashley and I probably once thought I loved her, but I know I could never love another woman; especially not like I love Aria.

As we arrived at the mountain, everyone hopped out of the car and began the climb up the mountain.

After about 20 minutes, Aria said that she started to feel sick and she wanted to sit down for a few minutes.

"I'll stay with her, my feet are actually starting to ache a little bit." I said speaking to no one specifically.

Ashely turned to me and said, "Oh, I can stay with you guys too."

Kim knew how awkward it would be for us if Aria had to be left with Ashley and me again, so she came up with an excuse, "Actually, Ashley I wanted to talk to you about some last minute details about the wedding."

Ashley looked at Ezra as if to say, "Is that ok?"

He looked at her and said, "Go on, we'll catch up with y'all in a few minutes."

She smiled and nodded as they proceeded to hike up the mountain side.

As soon as they were out of sight I went over to Aria and took a seat next to her on a smooth boulder.

"So, are you really 'sick'?" I asked.

"Well, yeah, kind of." she replied.

"Aria, are you sure because you look perfectly fine to me." I said with a slight laugh.

"Ok, so maybe I'm not exactly sick. I'm just homesick." she shyly said.

Homesick? What did she mean by home? Rosewood or New York?

"Homesick as in Rosewood or New York?" I asked her just out of curiosity.

"No Ezra, I'm uh, well, uh-"

"Aria you can tell me" I said confidently. "You can tell me anything, you know that."

"I know, I'm sorry, it's just I'm homesick as in I'm missing you Ezra, a lot, you're my home. You have been for about five years now."

Right then and there, this 5'2, hazel eyed girl melted by heart for about the hundredth time.

I pulled her into a tight embrace and placed soft kisses on the top of her head "Aria, come here. I love you so much and I'm not leaving here unless it's with you."

"Thank you so much Ezra, for everything." she said with a soft giggle. That sound was like Heaven to my ears.

"Anything for you, Ar."

She wiped her eyes, chuckled and said, "Come on, lover boy. We're about 10 minutes behind them."

**ALRIGHT THIS IS I GUESS YOU COULD SAY PART 1 OF THIS CHAPTER. THE NEXT CHAPTER WILL BE TAKING OFF FROM HERE. I THOUGHT THIS WAS A GOOD PLACE TO GET LOST. STAY TUNED FOR AN EZRIA WILDERNESS SCENE, OR WHATEVER YOU WANT TO CALL IT. PREPARE YOURSELF FOR A PRETTY DRAMATIC STORY. I HAVE SOME BIG PLANS FOR THIS THAT MOST OF YOU PROBABLY ARENT GOING TO BE EXPECTING. HM, WHAT COULD IT BE? OH, AND IMPORTANT NOTE:I'LL BE UPDATING EVERY TUESDAY AFTERNOON, SO NEXT TUESDAY I'LL PUT THE NEXT PART OF THIS CHAPTER UP. THANKS SO MUCH AND REVIEW, PLEASE!**


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